Best Selling Handmade Items 2020
Below is a table revealing the most popular search terms on Etsy near the end of, 2020. It shows you handmade items in demand, determined by Etsy customer searches.
Looking at “searched for” items provides you a window into finding the top selling crafts 2020.
| 1 | personalized gifts | 623963 |
| 2 | face mask | 611039 |
| 3 | wall decor | 407575 |
| 4 | craft kits | 197303 |
| 5 | self care | 189070 |
| 6 | gift | 186266 |
| 7 | outdoor | 168821 |
| 8 | among us | 133907 |
| 9 | stickers | 115134 |
| 10 | halloween | 114773 |
| 11 | halloween decor | 100586 |
| 12 | earrings | 98526 |
| 13 | mask | 95851 |
| 14 | harry potter | 93830 |
| 15 | rings | 86153 |
| 16 | candles | 84858 |
| 17 | harry styles | 78096 |
| 18 | christmas | 73695 |
| 19 | crystals | 72882 |
| 20 | masks | 66861 |
| 21 | gift box | 64187 |
| 22 | holiday stockings | 63978 |
| 23 | anime | 60641 |
| 24 | christmas svg | 55047 |
| 25 | wall art | 52848 |
| 26 | tapestry | 52010 |
| 27 | wedding gifts | 51364 |
| 28 | mugs | 49921 |
| 29 | holiday pajamas | 48951 |
| 30 | svg | 48743 |
| 31 | halloween svg | 47836 |
| 32 | disney | 47484 |
| 33 | christmas wreath | 47399 |
| 34 | vintage | 47304 |
| 35 | wedding dress | 46730 |
| 36 | pumpkin | 45422 |
| 37 | animal crossing | 43197 |
| 38 | personalized gift | 43197 |
| 39 | wreaths | 42290 |
| 40 | resin molds | 42110 |
| 41 | necklace | 41129 |
| 42 | halloween face mask | 41106 |
| 43 | anniversary gifts for boyfriend | 40915 |
| 44 | bts | 40079 |
| 45 | ring | 39702 |
| 46 | bridesmaid gifts | 39570 |
| 47 | tarot deck | 38894 |
| 48 | press on nails | 38025 |
| 49 | halloween costume | 38010 |
| 50 | slime | 37544 |
| 51 | bong | 37398 |
| 52 | face masks | 37107 |
| 53 | resin | 36644 |
| 54 | silk face mask | 36215 |
| 55 | keychain | 36207 |
| 56 | gifts for boyfriend | 35968 |
| 57 | neon sign | 35694 |
| 58 | christmas gifts | 34538 |
| 59 | dog collar | 34451 |
| 60 | boyfriend gift | 33850 |
| 61 | witch | 33581 |
| 62 | gifts for men | 33560 |
| 63 | plants | 33196 |
| 64 | hot chocolate bomb | 33074 |
| 65 | halloween gifts | 33059 |
| 66 | among us plush | 32989 |
| 67 | engagement ring | 32771 |
| 68 | engagement gifts | 32638 |
| 69 | candle | 32522 |
| 70 | christmas decorations | 32376 |
| 71 | gifts for mom | 32034 |
| 72 | fall decor | 32012 |
| 73 | 2020 ornament | 31997 |
| 74 | name necklace | 31375 |
| 75 | art prints | 31086 |
| 76 | star wars | 30598 |
| 77 | tarot cards | 30488 |
| 78 | tarot | 30237 |
| 79 | witchcraft | 29893 |
| 80 | witch hat | 29872 |
| 81 | home decor? | 29814 |
| 82 | washable mask? | 29580 |
| 83 | wedding | 29149 |
| 84 | pumpkin svg | 29145 |
| 85 | fall svg | 29116 |
| 86 | coasters | 29042 |
| 87 | jewelry | 28636 |
| 88 | fabric | 28449 |
| 89 | holiday face mask | 28315 |
| 90 | face mask with nose wire | 28280 |
| 91 | desk | 28240 |
| 92 | christmas ornaments | 27644 |
| 93 | moldavite | 27629 |
| 94 | car accessories? | 27591 |
| 95 | keycaps | 27262 |
| 96 | face mask with filter | 27197 |
| 97 | lip gloss | 27178 |
| 98 | doormat | 27072 |
| 99 | rug | 26510 |
| 100 | haikyuu | 26353 |
Etsy Best Sellers
For 2020 forecasted trends for things to sell on Etsy see my post on Trending Crafts to Sell on Etsy
Opportunity in High Demand Crafts:
- Consumers (almost 90% according to Forbes) want earth-friendly products that help save the planet.
- Etsy has seen a forty-three percent year-over-year rise in all categories for eco-friendly items (source: MarthaStewart.com).
- Lyst, a curator of fashion trends, has seen a 75% increase in searches for sustainable fashion since 2019.
- If you don’t make sustainable products, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. Read more here.
Popular Handmade Items – Etsy Shop Research – Trending Crafts to Sell
Check out EtsyRank under “Competition.” You will find the top Etsy stores by category. You can then go in and look at specific items these sellers have done well with.
Of course, there’s more to these Etsy sellers’ success than sales numbers. They’ve typically done a great job marketing, promoting, and following up with customers.
Even so, viewing the best selling items on Etsy may give you product ideas for marketing on sites like Etsy.
Also see my article: What are the top selling wood products on Etsy
Crafts in Demand by Location and Season
Certainly, you can get clues from popular handmade items in demand, depending on where and when you look. Just remember that top selling handmade crafts that sell at craft shows in one area of the country may flop elsewhere.
Many Etsy sellers have found some of their handmade items sell great in the Fall but not do well in the Spring or at other times of the year.
So how do you get beyond the location and seasonal handicaps?
The answer is that there are elements behind best selling crafts. You can apply them to your handmade items. When you put these elements in place, your crafts can be in demand everywhere, all year round.
How Long Will Trends Last?
According to one crafting industry survey (now out of date) on crafts in high demand, artisans working in glass, metal and mixed media brought in the top sales. Wood, clay and textiles followed. But there’s never been a survey that took all crafts in all markets into account.
The challenge with chasing after the best selling crafts is that the handmade business market is constantly changing. By the time you’ve found popular crafts that sell, the trend may be on its way out and you don’t want to get stuck with inventory of something that’s no longer “in”. You also want to be careful not to copy someone else’s work (copyright infringement).
If you are serious about starting a craft business, the question you really should be asking is “How can I make and sell crafts that are trend-proof and in-demand consistently?”
Elements behind best selling crafts:
- Quality always sells. Make unique handmade craft items and make them well. And people will buy them.
- Themes always sell. Create your crafts business around a theme(s) like cats or frogs or angels. People love their themes and create related products.
- Scarcity always sells. Create a limited edition set of items and state in promotional material that you will not repeat that limited edition again.
- Added value always sells. Add creative extras, like a nicely framed story, a certificate of authenticity or a DVD telling how the craft came about.
- Personalized crafts make popular handmade items that sell well. When possible, charge an extra amount and add personal names to a craft item.
- Color always sells. In fact, even throughout all the other parts that go into best selling crafts, color is the secret sauce. I wove scarves to sell in my gallery near Santa Fe, NM. Over the months, I kept track of what colors sold and listened when customers made requests. A scarf is just a scarf. But the colors I used made them extraordinary and best sellers in the gallery. If you don’t have any training in color theory, get some. You can find live classes on color theory at craft schools or Fiber Artist’s Guide to Color or this one from Mary Tafoya
There is another factor that’s difficult to quantify, but positively contributes to becoming one of Etsy best sellers. Make things you love making.
Find the love first, then apply the tips above to boost your sales. It’s the love of what you do that propels growth, both financially and in fulfillment. Then, keep your success a secret! Most of the top handmade sellers do.
Easy Crafts That Sell Well
But others share their success. Below is a fun video on some easy popular handmade items that sell well. Just remember all the above issues like where are the items going to sell, what time of year, what kind of fair or event and who is your audience.
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Best Selling Items at Craft Fairs
In 2020, craft shows and fairs are often canceled due to Covid. When they open again, public events and festivals make an adventure out of finding the top selling crafts.
At craft shows, I walked around looking for other makers in my media, which was wearable fiber. Typically at each event I would find three to six sellers who would be displaying vaguely similar pieces to my work. I often introduced myself to my competitors since I knew they would probably see my booth eventually. I got to know many of them and we shared stories about our experiences at different events. But we never discussed our top selling crafts or what might be trending.
Even so, I found another way to learn about the top selling handmade crafts at craft shows. Craft business magazines like Handmade Business or Sunshine Artist review shows and report on the best selling crafts and popular handmade items. Of course, any report is only going to tell you what sold at a particular show, in a given city, at a certain time of year.
Wholesale Crafts in High Demand
Besides walking through craft fairs, I found store owners to be very open about discussing popular crafts and handmade items in demand. In fact, they turned out to be incredible assets. Owners knew which trending crafts to sell from their customers’ purchase history. And they were upfront with their suggestions of what I should make.
Because of store buyers advice, my pieces found their way into shops and galleries all around the country from the Grand Canyon to Soho in New York City.
At first, this gave me the illusion that items in demand in stores in one area would be in demand in stores everywhere else. But this wasn’t the case.
Nor was it true that what sold well in a crafts show in Dallas was popular in Phoenix.
All of this contributed to a lesson learned: If you are looking for best selling crafts in all markets, in all locations, at all times of the year, you’re going to get a confusing mix of answers depending on who’s posting what. As a seller and a gallery owner for over thirty years, I can tell you there’s no useful data collected from all sources.
Besides, let’s say you gear up for making trending crafts to sell in 2020, what are you going to do in 2021 and beyond? Change gears – toss the inventory and supplies you invested in – buy into the next trend and repeat the same cycle?
Do you know the start up and production costs you will encounter each time you start producing a new item? And don’t forget product photos, packaging and new product listings on Etsy.
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